Terms and Conditions
Terms of Business
The Financial Services Authority is the independent watchdog that regulates financial services. Contained in this document is information which the Financial Services Authority requires us to tell you. Use this information to decide if our services are right for you.
Who are we?
Scenic is a specialist in motorhome insurance and a division of Swinton Group Limited. Our head office address is Swinton House, 6 Great Marlborough Street, Manchester M1 5SW. Swinton Group Limited is owned by MMA Holdings (UK) plc.
What are our trading hours?
- Monday - Friday 9:00am – 5:30pm
- Saturday - 9:00am – 1:00pm
Whose policies do we offer?
In relation to Motorhome, we deal with a limited number of insurers . In other circumstances we offer policies from a single insurer; however, we are not contractually bound to do business in this way. Where we deal with a limited number of insurers, we select a policy to meet your particular needs.
The table below shows which types of policy we offer from a limited number of insurers or from a single insurer. If a type of policy is not listed in the table, we offer that type of policy from a single insurer. A list of all the insurers we deal with is available on request.
| Limited number of Insurers | Single Insurer |
|---|---|
| Motorhome | Legal Protection |
| Breakdown |
We will receive payment of your premium from you as agent for the relevant insurer. Any claims money or refund of premium we receive from the insurer in respect of your insurance is also received by us as agent of the insurer. As agent of the insurer we receive a commission in respect of each policy we arrange. Should you wish to receive details of this you may do so by either, contacting us or our Customer Assistance Team:
- Tel: 0845 168 3676
- Swinton House
- 6 Great Marlborough Street
- Manchester
- M1 5SW
Which service will we provide you with?
We will advise and make a recommendation for you after we have assessed your needs. Sometimes we may use a third party to introduce you to us and for this the introducer is paid a fee by Swinton.
Your right to cancel your insurance
You have a right to cancel any insurance you buy through us and you will be able to recover any payment made (except as stated below). You can cancel a policy by giving notice to us (Our address is shown on the covering letter) within 14 days of your receipt of the policy document.
If you do exercise this right to cancel your insurance, you will be charged by the insurer for the service provided up to the point of cancellation. We will also make a cancellation charge of £45 except as shown in the ‘service charges’ table below. You will not be entitled to a refund of the service charge made by us for arranging your insurance.
Further, if you exercise this right to cancel your motorhome insurance, any Legal Protection you hold will also be cancelled. You will recover any payment made in respect of this product provided the cancellation right is exercised within the 14 day period mentioned above.
If you do not exercise this right to cancel, any remaining cancellation rights will be as set out in the policy document. If you cancel a policy then any Breakdown cover will also cancel automatically.
If we have given you a discount off your premium at inception this will be deducted on a pro rata basis from any refund due to you on cancellation of your policy at any time.
Where a cancellation or other transaction results in a premium refund being due to you, that refund will be reduced by any service charge and any other sums you owe in respect of the policy.
What will you pay us for our services?
The service charges we make may change from time to time.The tables below show the charges applicable at the time of printing. The outlet where you bought your policy will have available up-todate details of the scale of charges at all times.
It is not economic or practical to issue refund cheques of very small amounts. Accordingly, where a transaction would result in a refund to you from us of less than £1, this nominal amount will be retained by us as an additional service charge.
| Type of transaction | Service Charge | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Quotation (all policy types) | No charge |
|
| New policy inception | £15.00 | No charge will be made in respect of the inception of a Legal Protection or Breakdown policy |
| Policy renewal | £20.00 | No charge will be made in respect of the renewal of a Legal Protection or Breakdown policy |
| Changes to existing policies - Change of address - Foreign use extensions on motorhome policies |
No charge. No charge. |
Where a transaction results in a premium refund being due to you, that refund will be reduced by any service charge and any other sums you owe in respect of the policy |
| - Any other changes to existing policies (for taxation purposes or otherwise) | £25.00. | Where a transaction results in a premium refund being due to you, that refund will be reduced by any service charge and any other sums you owe in respect of the policy |
| Cancellations | £50.00 | No charge will be made on the cancellation of a Breakdown policy, or Legal Protection policy |
| Duplicate documents and covernotes | £20.00 | |
| Returned cheques | £20.00 | |
| Direct Debit defaults | £24.00 | |
| Failure to return signed Credit Agreement within 14 days | £24.00 | We will apply this fee to your account and collect it by increasing your monthly payments in the first year of this agreement by an equal proportion of the fee. |
| Payment by credit card | 2.5%(min £5) | This charge is in addition to the charges stated above. Not charged if you opt to pay the deposit on our direct debit plan by credit card. |
| Instalment charges (where payment is not by direct debit) | Charge |
|---|---|
| Payment by 2 instalments | 5% of the premium |
| Payment by 3 instalments | 7% of the premium |
| Payment by 4 instalments | 9% of the premium |
For payment by instalments, a minimum deposit of 25% is required. Applies to annual policies only.
Other payment options are available. For full details of the terms and conditions and charges, please ask..
Who regulates us?
Swinton Group Limitedis authorised and regulated by the Financial Services Authority (FSA). Our Firm Reference Number is 309599. Our permitted business is arranging, advising on and helping in the administration of general insurance contracts. You can check this on the FSA’s Register by visiting the FSA’s website or by contacting the FSA on 0845 606 1234.
Are we covered by the Financial Services Compensation Scheme?
We are covered by the Financial Services Compensation Scheme (FSCS) and therefore you may be entitled to compensation from the FSCS if we should be unable to meet our obligations. This depends on the type of business and the circumstances of the claim.
For most types of insurance, advising and arranging is covered for 100% of the first £2,000 and 90% of the remainder of the claim, without upper limit. Further information about compensation scheme arrangements is available from the FSCS.
What to do if you have a complaint
| Step 1 | Please contact the Manager at Scenic. We expect the majority of complaints will be quickly and satisfactorily resolved at this stage, but if you are not satisfied you can take the issue further. |
| Step 2 | Please contact our Customer Assistance Team: In writing to Swinton Colonnade, Swinton House, 6 Great Marlborough Street, Manchester, M1 5SW. By telephone – call 0845 168 3676 or fax 0161 236 7102. Online – please see our website www.swinton.co.uk and use our feedback facility located under ‘ Contact Swinton’. |
| Step 3 | If your complaint is one of the few that cannot be resolved by this stage, please write directly to our Chief Executive at the above address. |
| Step 4 | If you remain dissatisfied with our response to your complaint, you may be able to refer the matter to the Financial Ombudsman Service (FOS). The FOS will independently investigate your complaint without charge to you. You will not be able to refer any complaint to the FOS unless you are a) a private individual, b) a business which has a group annual turnover of less than £1m at the time of the complaint, c) a charity which has a turnover of less than £1m at the time of the complaint or d) a trustee of a trust which has a net asset value of less than £1m at the time of the complaint. |
Following the above complaints procedure will not affect your legal rights. Please provide your policy details and the address where you bought the policy on all correspondence. If you have a complaint against your insurer, please refer to the policy booklet for details of your insurer’s complaint procedure. Treating you fairly
We aim to treat you fairly. We consider carefully the products we offer and we select or design them with our customers in mind. We work hard to make sure you’re not misled and that the information we provide is clear and understandable. Our complaints process is fair and accessible and we aim to put things right if we’ve made a mistake. We want you to be confident and comfortable in your dealings with us.
Further important information
What you must tell us
When you take out, renew or alter any policy, the information you supply to us is the basis on which your cover and premium are agreed. If that information is incorrect or anything changes, please let us know immediately as it could invalidate your policy or result in a claim not being paid. Any changes in information supplied will be accepted from you either verbally or in writing. Remember, you should always tell us about any change immediately – please don’t wait until your renewal.
How you can deal with us
Our principle means of conducting business is over the phone. You can contact us by phoning us in Leeds, tel no 0845 013 1624. If you wish to deal with us face-to-face at the unit, Scenic, Woodside House, 261 Low Lane, Horsforth, Leeds, LS18 5NY. You can also write to us at this address.
The language we do business in is English. We have a leaflet that sets out our services to customers with disabilities, which is available on request.
At Renewal
Shortly before renewal, we will try to speak to you by phone about your renewal requirements. If we do not manage to contact you or you do not proceed at that time, then we will send you a letter setting out our renewal quote. We will ask you at that time to contact us.
If you have a claim
We will make available to you free of charge the Motor Claims Helpline 24hrs a day, 365 days a year, for motor insurance claims. Through this service we will always be available to give you expert help and advice when you have a claim. The number to call in the event of a claim – if you’re involved in an accident, if you suffer fire, windscreen or other damage to your vehicle or the theft of your vehicle – can be found on the inside of the Policy Document Folder. If you no longer have the folder, or have misplaced it, please call us on 0845 013 1624 for details.
If you need to make a claim on any other insurance, please call us. We will take your details and guide you through the claims process.
Important - Scenic’s right to cancel your insurance
If you choose to pay by monthly direct debit or under our instalment scheme, you will be provided with a Consumer Credit Agreement or Instalment Agreement to sign. You are reminded that it is a term of both agreements that you authorise Scenic, as your agent, to instruct the insurers to cancel your insurance if any monthly direct debit or instalment payment, or any other amount due under those agreements, is in arrears and not paid by the due time.
Your details are in safe hands
We will share the information we have on record about you where the disclosure is required by law. As part of the process of providing you with a quote, arranging your insurance and putting your cover in place, this information and your personal data will be shared with insurers. We may also use this information to tell you, by phone, letter or e-mail about insurance related or other goods and services which we think you may be interested in. These are likely to include financial services such as the provision of credit, loan and mortgage facilities, life assurance, savings and investment products, and ‘life-style’ products and services, such as payment protection and associated products, as well as products and services related to the insurance, protection, maintenance and repair of your personal goods and property. These may be products and services supplied by us or other selected third parties. Please let us know if you do not want us to do this.
We may also pass this information to other carefully selected third parties who may use it to tell you by phone, letter or e-mail about other goods and services which they think you may be interested in. Please let us know if you do not want us to do this.
Most of the insurers we deal with have a sharing of information agreement to prevent fraud. Whenever you arrange your insurance through us, your cover and premium will be agreed with your insurer on the basis that you agree to their passing on claims information to the Claims Underwriting Exchange.
To help prevent fraudulent claims, your insurer exchanges information with other insurers through various databases. Also to help detect people who break the law by not having insurance, your insurer will supply details of your motor insurance to a database which can be accessed by the police or other insurers.
If you would like a copy of your policy record, please request this in writing enclosing a cheque for £10 payable to Swinton Colonnade, and send to:
- Customer Assistance Team
- Swinton House
- 6 Great Marlborough Street
- Manchester
- M1 5SW
Introducer Arrangements
A third party may have introduced you to us and for this the introducer may be paid a fee by Swinton. Similarly, we may, with your consent, introduce you to other third parties, for which the third party may pay a fee to us. If, as a result of an accident that was not your fault, you require legal representation, Swinton will arrange for their recommended solicitors to act for you. The solicitors recommended by Swinton have been chosen as experts in this particular field. A fee is paid by the solicitors to Swinton for being members of our legal services panel. We comply with the Solicitors’ Introduction and Referral Code published by the Solicitors Regulation Authority, and any solicitors to whom we may refer you are independent professionals from whom you will receive impartial and confidential advice.
Swinton is part of a group
Swinton Group Limited is connected for the purposes of the Insurance Companies Regulations 1981 to MMA Insurance plc and Gateway Insurance Company Limited, as we have the same parent company. We do, however act totally independently in the day-today running of our business and in deciding which insurers to place business with.
Wherever we recommend a policy underwritten by MMA plc or Gateway Insurance Company Limited, we will advise you of this connection before you are committed to buying.
Scenic is a division of Swinton Group Limited registered in England number 756681, which is connected for the purposes of the Insurance CompaniesT Regulations 1981 to MMA Insurance plc and Gateway Insurance Company Limited. Registered office;
- Swinton House
- 6 Great Marlborough Street
- Manchester
- M1 5SW
